Coal in its virgin state is sometimes treated to improve its usefulness and thermal energy content. The treatment can include drying the coal and subjecting the coal to a pyrolysis process to drive off low boiling point organic compounds and heavier organic compounds. Thermal treatment of coal causes the release of certain volatile hydrocarbon compounds having value for further refinement into transportation liquid fuels and other coal derived chemicals. Subsequently, the volatile components can be removed from the sweep gases exiting the pyrolysis process. Thermal treatment of coal causes it to be transformed into coal char by virtue of the evolution of the coal volatiles and products of organic sulfur decomposition, and the magnetic susceptibilities of inorganic sulfur in the resultant char are initiated for subsequent removal of coal ash, sulfur and mercury from the coal char.
The effective removal of such volatile components as coal ash, inorganic sulfur and organic sulfur, and mercury, from coal char is problematic. It would be advantageous if bituminous coal could be treated in such a manner that would enable volatile components to be effectively removed from the coal at more desirable concentrations thereby creating a coal char product having reduced ash and sulfur. It would be further advantageous if bituminous coal could be refined in such a manner to create a second revenue stream (i.e., condensable coal liquids), which could be collected to produce syncrude. A process for beneficiating bituminous coal, including reducing sulfur and ash, evolving valuable coal liquids and fuel gas, increasing calorific value, and improving other properties of the resultant coal char product, is desirable.